Rodeo Songs by Kaye Spencer Part 4 of 4 - Countdown of Kaye's 7 Favorite Rodeo Songs #rodeo #rodeosongs #prairierosepubs

This is Part 4 of my four-part series about my favorite rodeo songs, which came about because July 4, 2019 was the 150th anniversary of the Deer Trail Rodeo in Deer Trail, Colorado. It was a rodeo from my younger days that I didn't miss.

In Part 1, I promised pictures of me as the Brush Rodeo Queen c. 1970. I couldn’t locate the one rodeo queen picture I wanted, but I did locate a newspaper article and picture. I also found a picture of me as 1^st Attendant for the Standard Quarter Horse Association c. 1971.

 

 

Kaye on the right - 1st Attendant - Standard Quarter Horse Association

Kaye doing the 'queen wave' at the judges

Brush Rodeo Queen - Kaye in the center

 

My horse’s name was Stonewall Jackson. He and I won many performance events in 4-H and other quarter horse riding and showing competitions such as obstacle trail, English pleasure, and western pleasure. We were a force to be reckoned with in the show ring for many years. Later, my brother (12 years younger) rode Jackson to local fame, too. Just for kicks and giggles, here are pictures of me and Jackson – c. 1970-1972.

I also mentioned in a comment that I had a picture of me in the very fashionable fringed leather jacket of the 1950 and early 1960s. I’m the little one at about 10 years old. The other two are my sibling cousins.

I digressed…back to my Top 7 Favorite Rodeo-Themed Songs.

To remind you where I’ve been with this four-part series, you can read Part 1 HERE - Part 2 HERE -  Part 3 HERE

So far, my seven favorite rodeo-related songs are:

7 – Bad Braham Bull by Chris LeDoux

6 – Strawberry Roan by Marty Robbins

5 – Bandy the Rodeo Clown by Moe Bandy

4 – All Around Cowboy by Marty Robbins

3 – Amarillo by Morning by George Strait

2 – Rodeo Cowboy by Lynn Anderson

Here are my Honorable Mention Rodeo Songs (not in any particular order):

Cowboy in a Continental Suit by Marty Robbins

• Rodeo Romeo by Moe Bandy
• Cowboy in a Continental Suit by Marty Robbins
• Rodeo by Garth Brooks
• 8 Second Ride by Chris LeDoux
• 10 Seconds in the Saddle by Chris LeDoux
• Old Cheyenne by Ian Tyson
• I can Still Make Cheyenne by George Strait

All of these songs are available on YouTube.

Now, for my Number 1 favorite rodeo-themed song...

The song that I first heard when I was 14 years old—

The song that sparked the embers then lit the fire of romantic angst in my teenager’s writing heart—

The song that spawned the first novel I ever wrote [high school] (which has thankfully been lost to the ages)—

The song that references my home state of Colorado… (I love this song so much.)

Someday Soon – performed by Judy Collins

Someday Soon was written by Canadian singer-songwriter Ian Tyson. He and his wife Sylvia recorded the song in 1964, but they didn’t release it as a single then. Someday Soon has been covered by Judy Collins, Moe Bandy, and Suzy Bogguss with chart-hitting success. The Kingston Trio, Chris LeDoux, Crystal Gayle, Glen Campbell, Lynn Anderson, and a host of other singers also have versions.

Someday Soon is listed in the Top 100 Western Songs of all time by members of Western Writers of America.* 

Here is an interesting note— Judy’s version is categorized as ‘folk’, not western.

Here are two Someday Soon videos for your listening pleasure. The first is Judy Collins’ rendition. The second is Judy singing with Ian and Sylvia Tyson. About mid-video, the music cuts to Judy offering an anecdote about recording the song.

Until next time,

Kaye Spencer

Writing through history one romance upon a time

Stay in contact with Kaye via these venues:

Amazon Author Page | BookBub | Blog | Twitter | Pinterest | Facebook

 

* Someday Soon - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Someday_Soon_(Ian_Tyson_song)

Countdown to Kaye Spencer's Favorite Rodeo Song – Part 1 of 4 #rodeo #rodeosongs #prairierosepubs

July 4, 2019 marked the 150^th anniversary of a rodeo in Deer Trail, Colorado. Deer Trail is proud to claim the honor of being “world’s first rodeo. In fact, The Handbook of Texas Online states: “One of the earliest 'bronco-busting contests' on record was held on July 4, 1869, in Deer Trail, Colorado Territory.”*

Thinking about the Deer Trail rodeo took me back through the years, and I consequently spent a good deal of time reminiscing about my own rodeo years.

During my teenage years and into my early twenties, my best friend was part of a family of small-circuit rodeo-ers. This family and my parents were friends during their school years, so rodeo was part of our collective entertainment. Although, my dad didn’t ride saddle broncs much past his early twenties, my family rarely missed attending a rodeo that was within a day’s drive from home.

From about age 14 through 21, I didn’t miss attending these three rodeos:

*The Brush Rodeo in Brush, Colorado, which is ten miles from where I grew up in Fort Morgan. The Brush rodeo began in 1954. I was the Brush rodeo queen when I was 16. The Brush Rodeo Facebook page is HERE https://www.facebook.com/BrushRodeo/

If I locate a picture of me as a Brush Rodeo queen, I’ll include it in a later post.

*The Deer Trail Rodeo in Deer Trail, Colorado, which is about 70 miles straight south of Fort Morgan. The Deer Trail Rodeo Facebook Page is HERE. 

Colorado Map - Deer Trail and Fort Morgan marked in red and blue respectively**

 *Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming, which is 100 miles from Fort Morgan. Website Here

Quick anecdote: When I was the Brush Rodeo Queen, I participated in the Cheyenne Frontier Days parade and in the rodeo arena parade. At that time, visiting queens weren’t allowed to bring their own horses, so horses were supplied by rodeo cowboys.

Fast forward thirty-ish years to my job as Director of Exceptional Student Services for 13 school districts…

One evening, and in the midst of deep conversation in the hotel’s bar at an educational conference, one of the school superintendents I worked with and I discovered he was the cowboy who loaned me his horse for those parades all those years ago. (Yes, I know, TMI.)

Back to the title of this article and rodeo songs.

In the course of my reminiscing, rodeo songs naturally cropped up, and I spent a few minutes… okay… hours… on YouTube searching for, and listening to, rodeo songs. Consequently, I decided to write this four part article leading up to my favorite rodeo song. I’ve chosen my seven favorite rodeo songs, which I will share in similarly themed pairs, until the last post, which will focus on my favorite rodeo song.

Now for Numbers 6 and 7…

While one of these songs isn’t technically a rodeo song in that it doesn’t take place inside a rodeo arena, bronc riding is a rodeo event and that’s good enough for me. Pay attention to the similar theme in these two songs. In fact, the lyrics are quite similar.

Number 7

Bad Brahma Bull - Chris LeDoux

Number 6

Strawberry Roan - Marty Robbins

 

What are your favorite rodeo songs?

Until next time,
Kaye Spencer

You can find Kaye here:

Amazon Author Page | BookBub | Blog | Twitter | Pinterest

Attribution:

** “Large Detailed Roads and Highways Map of Colorado State with All Cities: Colorado State: USA: Maps of the USA: Maps Collection of the United States of America.” Maps of All States, Regions and Cities of the United States of America | Maps of the USA, https://www.maps-of-the-usa.com/usa/colorado/large-detailed-roads-and-highways-map-of-colorado-state-with-all-cities.

*Handbook of Texas Online, Sylvia Gann Mahoney, "RODEOS," accessed September 10, 2019, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/llr01. 

Bull and Rodeo Clown images: Fotolia.com - author purchased license

Bronc image: Morguefile.com - photographer beat0092